Current electronic systems (e.g., computers) often have different power supply voltages available on a single printed circuit board. Present power supply voltages are typically 3.3 V, 5 V, 6 V, 9.6 V and 12 V. In other cases, a particular integrated circuit (IC) may be designed for use in different applications having different power supply voltages. In either case, the IC must be able to operate at the different power supply voltages. Either special power supply conditioning must be provided for that particular IC or the IC by itself must operate at multiple power supply voltages with no degradation in performance. This can at least add time to the design cycle or cost to the system.
Accordingly, a need exists for a device that can provide a constant power output regardless of the system power supply provided to the device, while minimizing additional cost or design cycle time. The present invention meets this need.